SATURDAY 20 SEPTEMBER 2014
15
FEATURE
Since then, Konstantinos hasn't been
back. He is keen to visit, but has no plans
of moving to Australia permanently.
"I really loved it. My parents still love
and talk about Australia - it gave them
a chance in life. They left their country
because jobs didn't exist, life was hard.
They found a better life there. But they
wanted to come back and try their luck
in their homeland. At that age, they
didn't ask me," Kon says with a laugh.
"I probably would go back, but at
the point of my life as it's turning now,
I'm not thinking about it. I have a wife,
children, two jobs - as a firefighter
and a farmer. My children have been
brought up in Greece, there is no way
for me to go back permanently."
But, similar to Anastasia, Kon says he is
losing some of his friends who are moving
back in the time of the Greek crisis.
"For some of them it has worked out,
coming back to Australia, for others not...
"I guess it depends on what you are
looking for in life. Either way you must
work very hard. I don't believe that
everything is given to you openhanded
in Australia, you have to work and earn.
"Here, I have two jobs, as my wife
doesn't work. The truth is we get paid
less and less every year," Kon explains.
An active member of the group, Kon
often makes his way to Thessaloniki
to join Aussies in Thess gatherings.
"Anastasia found me, she is remarkable.
She keeps us together, and everyone else
in the group is like that. We have the same
background; we have been to the same
places. It's a great family type of group. I
met remarkable people, it's a perfect bond."
Similar to Kon, Vicky Matzouranis' return
to Greece was not a choice of her own.
Born in Greece, her parents migrated to
Australia when she was just two years old. It
was lack of work and poverty that, like many
other Greeks, drove them to immigration.
But, as Vicky says, they were dreaming
of return since the day they left Greece.
"Myself, as a child brought up in such
a beautiful and developed country,
which offered me the very best in
education and not only that, I was not too
enthusiastic about returning to Greece.
"I kept the thought of returning to
Australia in the back of my head. My first
impression was 'Where have I come? This
is third world!' Greece was just booming
again ... and boom it did! Beautifully!"
Today, there are many more reasons
that attract and keep Vicky in Greece.
"The culture for one; the laid back
lifestyle. The fact that summer is never dull
... always somewhere to go and something
to see. We work early and arrive home
early after our eight-hour shift and still
have the day ahead of us to enjoy. We
sleep late and socialise a lot and can meet
up with friends whenever we want.
"There are many differences between
Greece and Australia ... climatically and
scenic-wise. Life-wise. Night spots and
coffee places close in the early hours
of the morning any time of the week.
Summer is summer and winter is winter."
Having set up a life for herself in Greece,
Vicky is not thinking of returning.
"I am very happy here. I returned
to Australia on holiday in 2010 - I
don't think I could live anywhere
other than Thessaloniki!"
The founder of the group Aussies in
Thess, Anastasia Skliros says her family is
still financially comfortable in the Greece
of today. What she misses from her other
home, Australia, is the security factor.
"I miss the government that takes care
of its citizens. My first preference would
be to bring my kids up in Australia.
We moved back in 2005, but as my
husband couldn't assimilate in Australia,
we returned after three months.
These are the things that worry us.
"I have a lot of memories from
Australia. I regard it as my home,
the first home. And that's how most
of the people in the group feel.
"We adore Greece, but Australia is my
first home. Life in Greece is beautiful, it's a
magical place. But you have to be care-free
to be able to appreciate this magic; you
can't be burdened with everyday struggles.
"After living here for 20 years I think it
has made me a better person, I learned
to deal with a lot of things I took for
granted in Australia, and that has made me
stronger. I believe that Greece has a very
positive future if it's promoted properly,
and that has to do with the government."
Another Aussie in Thess,
Vicky Matzouranis doesn't
think about return either.
And about the situation in Greece
that pushes many of those like
her back to Australia, Vicky says
they are its guinea pigs.
"Big political games are being played on
our backs. Why aren't we reacting? The
time hasn't come. Greeks have played a
significant role in the state this country
has been brought to ... so they should
all just start paying now. The way they
vote here, so passionately; friends in high
places, sustaining them there - it's all paid
its price and this is the thank you we are
getting from those friends in high places.
"The economic situation isn't a very
optimistic one. We are being taxed unfairly
left right and centre; our salaries and
wages have dwindled very low, below half,
speaking for myself, an English teacher
by profession in the private sector.
"And yet, these people called Greeks,
with their wages and salaries slaughtered
by unfair taxing, expenses up to our necks,
still find time to have a coffee outdoors,
a tsipouraki-ouzo, mingle with friends
and smile. This is why I love this country.
"I will always call Australia my
home away from home!"
For more information about the group,
visit their Facebook page Aussies in Thess.
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Always with the Australian flag - tavern
night at Ladadika for Aussies in Thess.
Day trip to Dion and Mount Olympus.
Apokries time.
Giving back to the community - members of the
group take part at the Autism Walk in Thessaloniki.
Kon Kallianidis is general secretary of
the Pontian Association of Edessa and
an active Pontian dancer.
Members of the group Aussies in Thess
gathered recently for their BYO picnic in
front of the White Tower. PHOTOS SUPPLIED.